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24 Feb 2017

Remembering John Keats

'But what, without the social thought of thee,

Would be the wonders of the sky and sea?'

Yesterday (23 February) marked the 196th anniversary of the poet John Keats's death.

He lived only 25 years but with his poems he granted himself immortality. The saddest thing is that he never believed anyone will remember his words. And here I am in 2017 writing this post and there are many many people out there who think of him fondly because his poetry changed their lives in some way.

Since he and his work is very close to my heart I won't let this day pass without leaving my favourite Keats poems here for you to read.

The last poem I mentioned above (Bright Star) became the title of a movie starring Abbie Cornish and Ben Whishaw (IMDb). If you don't know anything about Keats's life this can be a good place to start especially if you enjoy period dramas and romantic films. Although it only covers the last one or two years of Keats's life and concentrates mostly on his love story with Fanny Brawne, it doesn't fail to convey some of the philosophy behind his poetry either.

This is not only about Keats but you can get an idea how the Romantics worked as a group and how they drew inspiration from each other's work. If you are intrested in the social life of the Romantics (Keats included), this is the book you are looking for.

Visit Keats House!

If you you are in London and have an afternoon to spare, visit the house Keats shared with the Brawnes and his friend Charles Brown (who was also a poet).

For me it was a very special and emotional experience for personal reasons, but even if you don't know much about Keats, you can still enjoy the peace of the House and its garden. Plus you can learn a lot about his life there if you care to join a guided tour.